Born on October 9, 1958, in Tokyo, Japan, Satoko Fujii began playing piano at four and received classical training until age twenty, when she turned to jazz. From 1985 to 1987, she studied at Boston's Berklee College of Music, where her teachers included Herb Pomeroy and Bill Pierce. She returned to Japan for six years before heading back to the US to study at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she learned under George Russell, Cecil McBee, and Paul Bley, who appeared on her debut CD
Something About Water
(Libra, 1996).
Since then, Fujii has been an innovative bandleader and soloist, a tireless seeker of new sounds, and a prolific recording artist in ensembles ranging from duos to big bands. She has showcased her astonishing range and ability on approximately 80 CDs as leader or co-leader. With each new recording or band, she explores fresh aspects of her art.
Regular collaborations include her New York trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Jim Black, augmented by trumpeter/husband Natsuki Tamura to form the Satoko Fujii Four; her duo with Tamura; the Satoko Fujii Quartet featuring Tatsuya Yoshida of the Japanese avant-rock duo The Ruins; Orchestra New York, which includes saxophonists Ellery Eskelin and Tony Malaby, trumpeters Herb Robertson and Steven Bernstein, and trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, among others; Orchestra Tokyo; Orchestra Nagoya; Orchestra Kobe; the co-operative trio Junk Box with Tamura and percussionist John Hollenbeck; ma-do, a quartet with Tamura, bassist Norikatsu Koreyasu, and Akira Horikoshi; the Min-Yoh Ensemble with Tamura, Hasselbring, and accordionist Andrea Parkins; and the Satoko Fujii New Trio with bassist Todd Nicholson and drummer Takashi Itani-plus countless collaborations with some of the world's most important improvisers.
How would you describe music?
Made by sound and silence.
What is your relationship to music?
Life itself.
What draws you to the instrument(s) you play, and/or to composing?
To open myself and to hear myself.
What deceased performer(s), improviser(s), or composer(s) would you most like to have a conversation with?
Charles Ives.
What musician most influenced your approach to music?
Paul Bley.
Who or what influences you most outside of music?
Natsuki Tamura (my husband).
What advice would you give to a young musician entering your field?
Just follow your voice and go for it!
What do you hope audiences take away from experiencing your music?
Silence between the sound.
Where are you currently located or musically associated with?
Tokyo, travel to many places and play with many others.
What is your musical education or background?
Studied classical music, jazz, and Japanese folk singing.
Satoko Fujii - June 2025
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